Marge Simpson is pissed off, or at least she would be if she didn’t think it would be censored. While The Simpsons character normally stays out of political conversations, America’s favorite mother has something to say about a recent comparison to Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris. Don’t make her take out the three-eyed fish.
Shortly after the announcement Harris would be Joe Biden’s running mate, making her the first Woman of Color on a major presidential ticket, the Trump campaign’s senior legal advisor, Jenna Ellis, took to social media to say the vice presidential nominee’s voice sounded like Marge. On Thursday afternoon, The Simpsons producer James L. Brooks tweeted, “I wouldn’t be surprised if Marge Simpson shared her reaction to Jenna’s shot.” Today The Simpson’s verified Twitter account let Marge give the Evergreen Terrace rebuttal to the backhanded comparison.
“Lisa said she doesn’t mean it as a compliment,” Marge notes in the video. “If that’s so, as an ordinary suburban housewife, I’m starting to feel a little disrespected.” This is in direct response to Trump’s Aug. 12 tweet that “the ‘suburban housewife’ will be voting for me.” Not the blue-haired matriarch of Springfield, USA, although she didn’t say that outright, nor did she reference Ellis’ racist birther conspiracy theories about the vice presidential candidate. Mrs. Simpson is better than that.
“I teach my children not to name-call Jenna,” Marge continued. The Simpsons know from first-hand experience how such behavior can come back to haunt someone. The show mocked the idea of a Donald Trump presidency for years before it actually became a reality.
This isn’t the first time The Simpsons corrected political appropriation made by politicians who believe the Fox Network show was theirs by some kind of manifest destiny. Two years ago, Senator Ted Cruz claimed, “Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and Republicans are happily the party of Homer and Bart and Maggie and Marge.” The Simpsons showrunner Al Jean responded by tweeting “Ted Cruz says Maggie Simpson would vote for him. I think Ted’s the one who could use a pacifier in his mouth.”
Voiced by Julie Kavner, Marge Simpson is a subtle political commentator. She openly admits to voting for Jimmy Carter twice and supported the candidacy of Mary Baily, who ran for governor of whatever state Springfield is set in on the season 2 episode, “Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish.” She served Mr. Burns a nuclear mutated fish while he was using the Simpson family as a prop in his competing campaign. Marge also spearheaded protests of the dangerously nonchalant violence of Itchy and Scratchy cartoons.
“Marge is probably going to vote Democrat,” Ellis conceded in response to The Simpsons‘ statement, “by mail.”